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Thursday, May 18, 2006

Reynold's WIFI Plan Could Go County wide

About two months ago Alderman Bill Reynolds proposed Kingston begin examining the concept of providing free wireless broadband Internet access to its businesses and citizens, earlier this month the council voted 8-1 for a memorializing resolution to support in Mayor Sottile seeking requests for proposals. Now Leg. Brian Cahill and Leg. Rob Parete are looking at expanding Reynold's idea throughout Ulster county.

An Ulster County legislative committee is requesting information from wireless Internet services as part of an effort to connect the entire county to a WiFi network, including rural areas that do not have access. Ulster County legislators Brian Cahill, D-Ulster, and Robert Parete, D-Boiceville, said Wednesday that the Legislature's Administrative Services Committee has agreed to seek requests for information from wireless providers.

I think this is great, we are looking at putting this county into the 21st century and making it a desirable place to live and a good way to bring business into the county said Blaber.

Andrew Halpern of Tivoli, president of the company American WiFi, who made his pitch to the Kingston Common Council said he would be willing to present his plan to the Ulster County Legislature, on Wednesday.

Still not everyone wants to see Kingston and Ulster County move forward, Alderman Richard Cahill (r-ward6) has stated he is not in favor of the city nor the county providing free service to the people, Cahill said the city and the county should be "more concerned" about the rising taxes then "the internet."

It is a shame that even bipartisan efforts to better the residents of the city and the county somehow have to be made political said Blaber